Ignition distributor



April 1934- J. T. FITZSIMMONS 1,956,382

IGNITION DISTRIBUTOR Filed Dec. 31. 1931 Patented Apr. 24, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IGNITION DISTRIBUTOR Application December 31, 1931, Serial No. 584,105

6 Claims.

This invention relates to ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines and particularly to distributing heads for multi-cylinder engines.

It has been the practice in some types of distributor heads to provide a facile means for attaching the insulated high tension cables to the distributor posts and other terminals of the distributor head. One such means has been to provide a semi-cylindrical socket for receiving the cable and to locate in the socket a pointed conductor which pierces laterally into the cable and hence makes contact with the stranded wires in the cable. The cable is clamped in its socket by a cover which is attached to the distributor head and which conceals all of the connections between the various high tension wires and the terminals and posts of the head. In order to prevent moisture entering into the space beneath the cover which houses these connections, it has been the practice to provide the cover and head with meeting flanges provided with mating semicylindrical notches through which each cable passes. At least one of these notches may be provided with ridges for pinching the rubber insulation of the cable so that when the cover is attached to the head the cable will be squeezed into the space provided by the mating cylindrical notches of the flange of the cover and head, thereby making a substantial water tight joint where the cable passes out between the head and cap.

The present invention utilizes this method of attaching high tension cables to distributor head terminals and the means for sealing the apertures provided by mating notches through which the cables extend through the distributor cover. However, the present invention goes a step further by applying these features to a distributor for an engine having a relatively large number of cylinders, for example, an engine having 16 cylinders. Such an engine would require 16 distributor posts; and, if it is fired by two coils operated alternately, it would require two additional terminal posts for the spark coil wires making a total of 18 wires to be led out from the distributor head.

It is an aim of the present invention to lead all of these wires on the same side of the distributor head in order to facilitate the connection with the various spark plugs of the engine as well as with the ignition coils. The invention is particularly applicable to multi-cylinder engines of the V-type having two blocks of cylinders which provide for location of the ignition timer distributor unit between the blocks and at one end of the engine frame. In order that the distributor head may be maintained as small as possible it is an object of the present invention to provide for locating the high tension wires in two parallel rows where their wires emerge from between the flanges of the distributor head and cover. In order to accomplish this object the present invention provides an assembly comprising a distributor head, a ring and a cover. The distributor head carries the semi-cylindrical sockets each enclosing a pointed conductor and each adapted to receive the end of the high tension cable. The head has a flange which cooperates with a flange of a ring and these flanges are provided with mating semi-cylindrical notches so that when the ring is assembled with the head there will be provided a row of cylindrical holes radiating substantially from the center of the head each hole providing for the reception of a high tension wire. Similarly, the side of the ring remotest from the distributor head is provided with a flange which cooperates with a flange provided by the cover which is mounted upon the ring. The cooperating flanges of the ring and cover are similarly provided with a series of mating semi-cylindrical notches each adapted to receive a high tension wire. Thus by providing an assembly comprising a head, a ring and a cover, 1 provide outlets for the tension wires in two circular rows with the wires preferably above one another. For example, if a 16 cylinder engine requires the use of 18 high tension wires I am able to arrange the outlets from the distributor head assembly in two rows of 9 each, the outlets of one row being vertically above the outlets of the other. In this way the outlets are confined into a small space angularly with respect to the periphery of the head and the wires extending from these outlets can be arranged in a compact relation.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein a preferred embodiment of one form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a distributor head assembly embodying the present invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are perspective views of the distributor head and cover ring, respectively, and show the relative location of the head and ring prior to assembly.

Fig. 4 is a perspective View showing the head and ring assembly.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the cover and its relation to the other parts of the head assembly shown in Fig. i.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 7 and 8 are perspective views taken on the line 77 and 8--8 respectively of Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 1 the distributor head assembly comprises a head 20, a ring 21 and a cover 22. Referring to Figs. 6, 7 and 8 the head 29 carries a plurality of metallic inserts 25 providing distributor posts which cooperate with conductors of a distributor rotor, not shown, but which is received by a rotor compartment 26 located below a partition 27 of the distributor head. The posts 25 each carry a pointed conductor 28. Some of these conductors 28 are received within semieylindrical recesses 29 which are molded into the flange 30 of the head 20 and which open toward the outside or" the head, the other end of the recess 29 being closed. Referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen that there are 5 of these recesses marked number 29 which open outwardly. As the distributor head shown is for a 16 cylinder engine having one spark plug per cylinder there will be 16 minus 5 or 11 recesses which open inwardly. The 11 recesses are designated by number 31 in Fig. 2 and are shown in cross section in Fig. 8. The partition 27 of the head carries a central button 32 which cooperates with the distributor rotor and this button is carried by an insert 33 which in turn carries a pointed conductor 3% located in a central socket 35 having side openings 36. The partition 2'7 carries a ring conductor 37 cooperating with rotor conductor element and this ring is electrically connected with an insert 38 carrying a pointed conductor 39 located in a semi-cylindrical socket 40 having a side outlet 41. It will be seen that the total of the 16 pointed conductors 28 and the two conductors 34 and 39 makes a total of 18 conductors with which rubber insulated stranded wire cables are to be connected. Nine or one-half of the total number of cables are to be brought out through the outlets provided in part by the head 20, therefore, the flange 30 of the distributor head 20 is provided with radially extending notches 49 located between certain of the outlets 29. There are 4 of the outlet notches 49 which together with the 5 outlet notches 29 makes a total of 9 outlets provided by notches formed in the flange 30 of the head 20. Five wires are located in the recesses 29 with the points 28 piercing these conductors. Four other wires occupying the notches i9 have their ends connected with some of the points 28 in the sockets 31 or with one or the other of the sockets 35 or 40. The cables connected with pointed conductors in the remaining sockets 31 and 35 or 40 are passed through the ring 21.

After this assembly has been made the ring 21 is secured to the head 20 by screws passing through plain holes in the ring 21 and into the threaded holes tapped into the parition 2'7. The tightening of the screws 45 causes the rubber insulation of the wires to be squeezed between the ring 21 and the head 28. Each of the wires is squeezed between a mating pair of recesses provided by the head and ring. For example, the recess provided by the ring 21 which mates with the outwardly extending recess of the cover 20 are designated 29a, 49a, 29a, 49a, 29a, 29a, 49a, 29a, 49a reading from right toward left to show that they cooperate with the corresponding number of parts omitting the affix a applied to the notches or recesses in the head 20. Thus it is seen that the notches of the ring and the recesses of the head which are nearest the observer provide nine outlets when the ring and head are assembled as shown in Fig. 4. Each of these outlets 29 and 49 is provided with ribs 50 having relatively sharp edges, as shown in Fig. '7, which pinch the rubber insulation of the cable so as to provide a water tight joint.

In order that the remaining nine cables pierced by the pointed conductors in notches 31 and 35 or 40 may be led out from the same side of the head assembly as those cables leading out from the notches 29 or 49, the ring 21 is provided with nine radially extending notches 59 (see Fig. 4) which are located respectively and vertically above the notches 29 and 49 and which are provided with ribs 60 like the ribs 50 of the notches below. The cover 22 is provided with radially extending notches 59a which, when the cover 22 is assembled with the parts 20 and 21, as shown in Fig. 1, provide an upper row of outlets. After the remaining nine cables have been seated in the notches 59, the cover 22 is located upon the ring 21 with its nine notches 59a receiving the nine cables respectively, and the cover 22 is secured in position by screws 61 passing through plain holes 62 in the cover 22 and engaging threaded holes in the heads of the screws 45.

The ribs 60 pinch the cables in the outlets provided by mating notches 59 and 59a and assist in making a water tight joint at each outlet. The cover 22 carries lugs 35a and 40a which are in alignment respectively with sockets 35 and 40. These lugs serve to secure in position the high tension wires connected with the points 34 and 39.

Thus it is apparent that the present invention provides a distributor head assembly having provisions for the facile attachment of spark plug and ignition coil cables to the various terminals of the distributor head and provides an arrangement of outlets which permits a neat and orderly arrangement of the wires issuing from the head assembly.

While the form of embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A distributor head assembly comprising, in combination, a head comprising a substantially cylindrical hollow body divided by a partition into a distributor rotor receiving chamber and a cable receiving chamber, distributor posts extending into the first chamber, pointed conductors connected with the posts and extending into the second chamber, semi-cylindrical notches within each of which a pointed conductor is located, and each notch receiving an insulated stranded wire cable; a ring attachable to the head and adapted to maintain the cables within the notches, said head and ring having mating notches providing a group of outlets for a part of the cables; a cover mounted upon the ring, said ring and cover having mating notches providing a second group of outlets parallel with the first group of outlets for the remainder of the cables; means for securing the ring to the head; and means for securing the cover to the assembly of ring and head.

2. A distributor head assembly comprising, in combination, a head comprising a substantially cylindrical hollow body divided by a partition into a distributor rotor receiving chamber and a cable receiving chamber, distributor posts extending into the first chamber, terminals in the second chamber each connected with a post, and each adapted to be connected with a cable; a ring attachable to the head and adapted to maintain connection between the cables and the terminals, said head and ring having mating notches providing a series of radial outlets for a part of the cables; a cover mounted upon the ring, said ring and cover having mating notches providing a second series of radial outlets and in a parallel relation with the first mentioned series for the remainder of the cables; and devices for attaching together the head ring and cover.

3. A distributor head assembly comprising, in combination, a head comprising a rotor receiving chamber and a wall carrying distributor posts extending within the chamber, terminals located upon the side of the wall remote from the chamber, each terminal being connected to a cable; a ring mountable upon the head and cooperating therewith to provide a cable-end receiving chamber, said head and ring having mating notches providing a series of radial outlets for a part of the cables; a cover mountable upon the ring and closing the cable-end receiving chamber, said cover and ring having mating notches providing another series of radial outlets in a parallel relation with the first mentioned series of outlets for a part of the cables; and devices for attaching the head ring and cover together.

4. A distributor head assembly comprising, in combination, a head comprising a substantially cylindrical hollow body divided by a partition into a distributor rotor receiving chamber and a cable receiving chamber, distributor posts extending into the first chamber, pointed conduc tors connected with the posts and extending into the second chamber, semi-cylindrical notches within each of which a pointed conductor is located, and each notch receiving an insulated stranded wire cable; a ring attachable to the head to enlarge the cable receiving chamber and adapted to maintain some of the cables within the notches, said head and ring having mating notches providing radial outlets for a part of the cables; a cover mounted upon the ring adapted to maintain the remainder of the cables within the notches, said ring and cover having mating notches providing radial outlets for the remainder of the cables; means for securing the ring to the head; and means for securing the cover to the assembly of ring and head.

5. A distributor head assembly comprising, in combination, a head comprising a substantially cylindrical hollow body divided by a partition into a distributor rotor receiving chamber and a cable receiving chamber, distributor posts extending into the first chamber, terminals in the second chamber each connected with a post, and each adapted to be connected with a cable; a ring attachable to the head enlarging the cable receiving chamber and adapted to maintain some of the connections between the cables and the terminals, said head and ring having mating radial notches providing outlets for a part of the cables; a cover mounted upon the ring, said ring and cover having mating notches providing radial outlets in a parallel relation with respect to the other outlets for the remainder of the cables, and devices for attaching together the head and cover.

6. A distributor head assembly comprising, in combination; a head comprising substantially a cylindrical hollow body divided by a partition wall into a cable receiving chamber and into a distributor chamber; a plurality of posts deposed in a circular row in the partition Wall; a plurality of radially disposed notches and recesses in said partition wall, said recesses receiving the ends of the cables for electrical connection with the posts; a ring attachable to the head and adapted to maintain all of the cable ends within their respective recesses, said head and ring having mating notches and recesses to provide a group of radially disposed outlets for a part of the cables, a cover mounted on said ring, said ring and cover having mating notches providing a second group of radially disposed outlets above the first mentioned group whereby all the cables are brought out on one side of the head assembly in correct order, and means for attaching the head, ring and cover together.

JOHN T. FITZSIMMONS. 

